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Harvard-Westlake School

School rating 4 / 5 by

3700 Coldwater Canyon North Hollywood CA 91604 United States
Day
7th to 12th
Gender
Coed

Academic

Harvard-Westlake School review by .

Harvard-Westlake's academic experience succeeded marvelously in preparing me for university academics. Harvard-Westlake not only provides breadth of curriculum, but also depth of subject area. From a Molecular Gastronomy class to a Comparative Politics class, the variety is there while allowing a given student already cognizant of his or her preferred field of study to excel in a given path with advanced classes in fields like physics and government. The breadth and depth aspect of Harvard-Westlake's curriculum is important because it is much like a college curriculum, and it thus gives students a head start in not only discovering what truly interests them but also delving deep into that interest. What specifically aids in this academic exploration is the freedom to choose from a plethora of electives and student organizations. That way students get a well-rounded experience, which encompasses writing, listening, and discussing ideas in the classroom and greater self-development in extra curricular activities. Students may also create their own student organizations of an unrepresented interest, which speaks to Harvard-Westlakes's effort nurturing independence in students. Teachers, for the most part, are strong. They provide ample time to meet with them to discuss assignments and exams. They also lead class discussions in a meaningful way and are great lecturers. Many teachers also care about students and check in with them. But teachers are not very helpful. For some reason, many teachers are reluctant to answer the question "what should I do to excel in this class?" This is a weakness of Harvard-Westlake that benefits the wealthy students who can afford tutors in these cases.

College Counseling

None of Harvard-Wesltake's college counseling resources were to my benefit. Although, we started ranking colleges....

Sample insights on college counseling

  • They have contacts at most of the major universities and feel perfectly comfortable picking up the phone and advocating for a student to get accepted somewhere they feel is a good fit for that student. However, these counselors are certainly not magic bullets. They cannot guarantee that a student will get into an Ivy League university...
  • For those wishing to move on to Oxford or Cambridge, the provision is second-to-none. In the months running up to application and interview, every subject faculty offers classes (often run by former Oxbridge tutors) exploring further areas of their subject as well as offering advice on personal statements, interview technique and more...

Admissions - Getting Accepted

Harvard-Westlake, being the highest rated college preparatory school on the west coast, attracts many upper....

Sample insights on admissions

  • For the interview, dress conservatively. Try to be very clean and put together. Also, I was a tour guide for two years and at the end of every tour, we were asked to evaluate the candidate so if you think the tour is not apart of the process, you are very wrong. Ask questions and be interested. Also, tip for the parents: the kids speak on the tour. Do not ask their questions for them...
  • Most younger siblings have an easy time in the admissions process. I can only think of one case of a younger sibling not being admitted. About half of the students who entered with me had come from public schools. The remainder came from private K-6 schools, or had transferred from other New York private schools The Elizabeth Morrow School and St. Bernard were two of the larger feeder schools...

School Life

Where Harvard-Westlake falters is in its student life. The high-strung parents attracted to Harvard-Westlake's high ranking are more likely to induce stress at home, which translates into competitiveness in students. In addition to these stress-induced students, the large amount of "elite" students, as discussed in the admissions section, not only exacerbates academic competition since they have a leg up when applying to college, but also create social pressure for less privileged students. For the most part, social groups are divided by SES. Lower SES students cannot keep up with the lifestyle of high SES students, and many times don't feel....

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